Pursuant to a Letter of Authority signed by Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Intelligence Group (CIIS-IG) raided a car dealer in Barangay Ugong, Pasig City.
Authorized to demand evidence of payment of correct duties and taxes, the raiding team proceeded to the car hub last July 4, 2023 at about 6 p.m. to implement the Letter of Authority (LOA) applied and conceptualized by CIIS-IG after verifying intelligence information thru the conduct of surveillance activities confirming that the subject hub is storing and/or openly dealing exotic and hyper cars without proper documentation.
Upon arrival at the dealership, the team found 197 imported and locally sourced vehicles. However, 87 of said units were identified to have questionable documents. The 100% inventory of the subject vehicles was completed on July 6, 2023.
To clarify varying accounts of what happened during the raid, CIIS Director Verne Enciso stressed that:
“There was reportedly no tight lockdown in the showroom. This was because of the unusual location of the car hub wherein the compound is being shared by several other business establishments. If a tight lockdown was put in place, our team would have also compromised the operations of the other businesses there.”
Director Enciso further belied reports that the “special operation” was led by a Deputy Commissioner and a lawyer of a different group.
Instead, he emphasized that the raid was a result of an intelligence operation conceptualized and implemented by the BOC’s CIIS-IG led by Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Juvymax Uy.
“Every operation we conduct is a product of intense brainstorming and weeks of monitoring, analyzing, and investigation. We don’t go out there on a whim. Our team has been working day and night to confirm each information we get from our sources,” Enciso added.
Included in the 87 vehicles currently being investigated because of questionable documents are several units of Lexus, Mercedes Benz, Porsche Macan, Jaguar, GMC Savana, McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, and Land Rover.
Deputy Commissioner Uy assured the public that the proper procedure was followed during the implementation of the LOA, not to mention observance of due process in the conduct of investigation into the reported questionable documents of the subject luxury cars.
Under Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), the interested party have 15 days from implementation of the Letter of Authority within which to submit evidence of payment of correct duties and taxes due on the subject imported goods, otherwise the same will be ordered seized and undergo corresponding forfeiture proceedings pursuant to Customs Administrative Order No. 10-2020.
Pending submission of the required evidence of payment, BOC agents and officers shall underguard the hub to secure the subject vehicles 24/7.#
